Grain-door for cars.



B. F. OWENS.

GRAIN DOOR FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1908.

1,019,274, Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

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GRAIN noon FOR ems.

APPLIOATIOUILED SEPT. 5, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

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GRAIN-DOOR FOR CARS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. OWENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockwell City, in the county of Calhoun and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Grain-Door for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a grain door for cars which door is readily, quickly and easily adapted for use in connec tion with grains of different kinds. In this connection it is to be understood that when heavy grain such as wheat is loaded into a car, it is not necessary to close the upper portion of the car door opening, and when lighter grain such as oats is loaded in a car, it is necessary to close the upper portion of the car door opening, for the reason that cars are frequently filled to the top with grain such as oats.

A further object is to provide a door which can be readily, quickly and easily opened from the outside, and in which the various sections of the door, when not in use, are supported in such a manner that they cannot become detached from the car or misplaced.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the interior of a box car with a grain door embodying my invention in position therein. The dotted lines in said figure show the upper door section in the position which it occupies when not in use. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of a part of a box car with my improved car door in position therein, taken from the outside. Fig. 3 shows a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows a similar view with the central and the lower car door sections. supported on hooks above the car door opening. Fig. 5 shows a detail view of part of a car with the central and lower car door sections supported in position adjacent to the car roof. Fig. 6 shows an enlarged, detail view illustrating the means for pivotally connecting the lower car door section with the brackets at the sides of the door frame, andFig. 7 shows a detail, perspective view of the latch Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 5, 1908.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Serial No. 451,846.

device for holding the car door sections in their closed position.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the door frame, and 11, the sides of the box car, and 12, the roof portion thereof. The lower car door section which is designed to cover about one-half of the opening is indicated by the numeral 13 and is designed to rest upon the bottom of the car and against the inner edge of the frame 10. In the car door section 13 is a small opening covered by a small door 14, which may be opened to swing outwardly when the car door section 13 is in its closed position to thereby permit the grain within the car to How out. The particular construction of this door 14 and the means for supporting it and for locking it form no part of my present invention, and said means are fully illustrated and described in my patent application Number 412,767 filed on January 27, 1908.

Fixed to the lower outer portion of the door 13 are two metal plates 15 having notches 16 therein for purposes hereinafter made clear, and fixed to the outer face of the door 13, at the central portions of the sides thereof, are the loops 17. On the inner surface of the lower car door section are two brackets 18 extended outwardly beyond the sides of the door and each being provided with a loop 19 at its end.

Secured to the inner portion of the car side adjacent to the sides of the car door opening are two upright rods 20 having their ends fixed to the car side and each having at its upper end an inwardly extended portion 21, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The brackets 18 are pivotally and slidingly connected with the rods 20 by means of the metal rings 22. By this arrangement it is obvious that the lower car door section 13 may be grasped by the loops 19 and elevated to the upper end of the rod 20 and then it may be swung inwardly and upwardly on the rings 22. I have provided for supporting the lower end of this car door section, when in its elevated position, by means of the hooks 23 pivoted to the bolts 24 which in turn are attached to the car roof, the

lower ends of said hooks being designed to enter the notches 16 in the plates 15.

The central car door section is indicated by the numeral 25 and is of a height to extend from the top of the lower car door sections as follows: First the small door section to a point about midway between the lower car door section and the top of the car door opening. It is provided at its upper corners with brackets 26 extended outwardly and provided with loops 27 at its ends, which loops have chains 28 attached thereto and supported upon the screweyes 29 which are attached to the car side. The outer face of the car door section 25 is provided with screw-eyes 30 to receive hooks hereinafter described.

The upper car door section is indicated by the numeral 31 and is of a height to extend from the top of the middle car door section to the upper portion of the car door opening, to completely close the car door opening. It is provided on its outer face with two screw-eyes 32 to receive hooks hereinafter described, and on its inner face, near one corner, is a screw-eye 33 to which a chain 34 is attached. The other end of said chain is attached to the screw-eye 35 on the inner surface of the car side. On the other corner of the door section 31 is a screw-eye 36 having a chain 37 attached thereto. This chain 37 is designed to be attached to a hook 38 fixed to the inner surface of the car side in such position that when the door section 31 is swung around inside of the car, the chain 37 may be attached to the hook 38 to support the car door section 31 in an elevated position at the side of the car door opening, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

In order to support the central car door section in an elevated position, I have provided two hooks 39 fixed to the car roof in position where they may be engaged by the brackets 26. Then the car door section 25 may be swung inwardly and upwardly to position where its opposite edge will be engaged by a pivot hook 40, which hook is designed to enter a notched plate 41 on the car door section 25.

For holding the various car door sections in their closed positions, I have provided for each car door section two hooks 42 pivoted to the door frame and designed to enter the screw-eyes in the various door sections, and, in order to prevent said hooks from becoming detached from the screw-eyes, I have provided a pivot arm 43 pivoted to the door frame above each hook 42 to normally engage the top of the hook. The lower end of said arm is preferably of segmental shape and, when it is desired to detach the hooks, the operator swings the arms 43 outwardly and away from the hooks, whereupon the hooks may be elevated .and removed from the eyes.

In practical use and assuming that the various door sections are in their closed and locked positions, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the operator may proceed to remove the grain from the car and to open the door section14 is opened and a quantity of the grain is permitted to flow out until the grain is below the level of the upper and middle door sections. Then the operator may enter the car by first releasing the hooks that hold the upper car door section, whereupon the said section may be pushed inwardly and will hang upon the chain 34. When this is done, he may then grasp the brackets 26 and elevate the middle car-door section and easily place said brackets upon the hooks 39. The chain 28 is then between the chain 34 and the side of the car. The length of the chain 28 is such that when the middle door is in its raised position, the slack central portion of said chain 28 swings below the screw eye 35. The screw eye 35, the screw eye 29, the chain 34 and the door section 31 are not shown in Fig. 5, since they are behind the portion of the door frame which projects inwardly past the side of the car. This will allow the operator to easily enter the car and to move most of the grain remaining therein, so that it will flow through the small door opening in the lower door section and after the pressure of the grain is relieved from the lower door section, the operator may then grasp the brackets 18 thereof and elevate said door section and then swing its lower end inwardly and upwardly until it engages the hooks 23, as shown in Fig. 5. When the operator is within the car, he may easily place the up per and middle car door sections in their proper positions.

One of the great advantages obtained by the use of my improvement is that a grain door is provided that is capable of successful use in connection with any kind of grain and that can be opened quickly and easily after a portion of the grain has flowed out through the small door opening, and also that may be firmly and immovably secured in position when in use.

Another important advantage is that the various car door sections, when not in use, are permanently connected with the car and cannot be misplaced and will not in any way interfere with the use if the car.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a grain car, having a door opening, a door comprised of an upper and a lower section, said upper section being secured at one side of its upper end to the frame of the car near the roof thereof and detachably secured at the other side of its upper end to said frame and being capable of swinging inwardly both laterally and upwardly, means for supporting said upper section on the frame of the car when it is swung end for end and rests against the inside of the car, said lower section being slidably mounted on the frame of the car and capable of vertical movement with relation thereto, and

being also capable of swinging inwardly and upwardly, means for supporting said lower section adjacent to the roof of the car when it is raised to the upward limit of its vertical movement and swung inwardly and up wardly, and means for detachably securing said door sections in position in the door opening.

2. In a grain car, having a door opening, a door comprising three sections capable of independent movement with relation to each other, and designed to completely fill the door opening, means for detachably securing said sections in said opening, a chain secured to one side of the upper end of said upper section and to the frame of the car near the' roof thereof, a chain secured to the other side of said upper section near its upper end, a hook secured to the frame of the car near the roof thereof designed to receive and engage said second chain when said upper section is swung end for end and rests adjacent to the inside of the car, means for securing the upper end of said middle section to the roof of the car and for permitting it to swing upwardly and inwardly, means for securing said middle section in a position adjacent to the roof of the car at the limit of its upward and inward movement, the upper end of said lower section being slidably mounted on the frame 01"? said car in said opening to permit the lower end of said lower section to swing upwardly and inwardly, and means for securing said lower section to the roof of the car when it is moved to the upward limit of its vertical movement and then inwardly and upwardly.

Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 31, 1908.

BENJAMIN F. OWENS. Witnesses:

T. J. HUFF, W. A. LUNDBURG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

